More than MySpace v2.0 A Social Networking Web Sites Guide for Investigators Prepared by Ryan Kapaun, Eden Prairie Police Department Law Enforcement Analyst Updated - December 2007 rkapaun@edenprairie.org
Social Networking Sites Many individuals who use social networking sites may have multiple accounts on several different networks. It is not uncommon for users to have more than one account on the same network. There are programs available that allow a user to track who visits their profile. Many sites can be updated or changed via cell phone technology.
MySpace (www.myspace.com) Users: 212 million Ages: 14 35 MySpace is a social networking Web site that allows users to share pictures, videos, blogs and MySpace e-mail. Users can also post messages on each other s MySpace pages. Generally, MySpace profiles are viewable without having a profile of your own. However, if a MySpace user s profile is private, it means that the profile is only viewable by that user s friends. Custodian of Records MySpace.com 407 N. Maple Drive Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Phone: 888-309-1311 Fax: 310-356-3485 E-mail Address: LawEnforcement@MySpace.com MySpace has an 80% share of the social networking market, but other sites like Facebook and Bebo are growing at a faster rate. MySpace is the sixth most visited Web site in the world. Gang members have been known to post pictures of themselves or friends on the site. Pictures include: flashing gang signs, wads w of money, drugs and guns. If MySpace were a country, it would be the 5 th most populous country between Brazil and Indonesia.
Facebook (www.facebook.com) Users: 60 million Ages: 14 45 Facebook began in 2004 as a social networking site for college students. According to media reports, 85% of college students have a Facebook account. Facebook 156 University Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94301 Attn: Legal Department Fax: 650-644 644-0239 E-mail: legal@facebook.com In 2005, Facebook became available to high school students, as well as college students. Today, similar to MySpace, Facebook is open to anyone with a valid e-mail e address. Facebook members use the site for networking, sharing pictures, dating, and sending messages to their friends. Over 60 million photos are uploaded to Facebook weekly.
Craigslist (minneapolis.craigslist.com) Users: 25 million Ages: 18-35 Background: Craigslist is a centralized network of online urban communities, featuring free classified advertisements and forums sorted by various topics. As of September 2007, Craigslist had established itself in approximately 450 cities in 50 countries. Craigslist 1381 9th Avenue San Francisco, CA 94122 Attn: Custodian of Records Fax: 415-504 504-6394 E-mail: legal@craigslist.org There have been several reports of solicitation for prostitution and escort services posted on Craigslist.. Many law enforcement agencies have broken-up prostitution rings in their cities after investigations were started from postings on Craigslist. Criminals have also used Craigslist to sell stolen goods, including electronics, clothes, auto parts, and jewelry. Check scams are commonplace on Craigslist,, especially in the Seeking Roommate forum.
LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) Users: 16 million Ages: 25-55 Background: Attn: General Counsel 2029 Stierlin Ct. Suite 200 Mountain View, CA 94043 LinkedIn is a business-oriented networking site (comparable to a social networking site), mainly used for professional networking. As of November 2007, it had more than 16 million registered users, spanning 150 industries and more than 400 economic regions (as classified by the service). The main purpose of the site is to allow registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people they know and trust in business. The people in the list are called Connections. Users can invite anyone (whether a LinkedIn user or not) to become a connection. All 500 of the Fortune 500 are represented in LinkedIn.
Twitter (www.twitter.com) Users: 1 million Ages: 16 35 Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send "updates" (text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) via SMS, instant messaging, e- mail and the Twitter Web site. Users typically post several messages a day, usually about mundane tasks and activities. Some Twitter users post messages about meetings times and places. Friends and followers can receive a text message, e-mail, or instant message every time a Twitter user posts a new message. According to Twitter, the number of users and messages have been doubling every three weeks over the past three months. Twitter could be used to quickly notify hundreds of people by sending just one text message.
Bebo (www.bebo.com) Users: 40 million Ages: 14-20 Bebo has 40 million users worldwide with membership primarily coming from the U.K., Ireland, the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand. Bebo is the third largest social network in the U.S., the largest in Ireland, and the largest in New Zealand Attn: David Sanchez Fax: 512-506 506-9907 Telephone: 512-506 506-9698 E-mail: DavidS@bebo.com In October 2007, Bebo had more than 4 million unique U.S. visitors. Bebo s increased popularity can be accounted to the ability of similarities to MySpace and Facebook,, plus the ability to share a White Board and other Web 2.0 technologies A quick search of Bebo in December 2007, revealed several suspected Gang Members (Crips( Crips,, Bloods, Native Mob) living in Minnesota and posting pictures.
Hi5 (www.hi5.com) Users: 50 million Ages: 13-24 E-mail: abuse@hi5.com Hi5 is one of the fastest growing social networking Web sites. It s growth can be attributed to U.S. high school students and an international audience. Hi5 s Web site is translated into 7 different languages. Hi5 is similar to other networking sites (MySpace( MySpace, Facebook, Bebo,, etc.) where members use the site to send messages to each other, post pictures, and post comments.
BlackPlanet (www.blackplanet.com) Users: 16 million Ages: 18 30 BlackPlanet was launched in 1999 and has become one of the most popular social-networking site for African-Americans. Americans. BlackPlanet is similar to the MySpace and Facebook formats, where members use the site for networking, sharing pictures, dating, and a sending messages to their friends. Gang members have been known to post pictures of themselves or friends f on the site. Pictures include: flashing gang signs, wads of money, drugs and guns.
MiGente (www.migente.com) Users: 3 million Ages: 20-30 MiGente ( My People ) is a social networking Web site that targets Hispanic populations. MiGente is not limited to Hispanics, as it also counts other ethnic groups as members. While similar to other social networking sites, MiGente creates a community feel by having forums about restaurants, community notifications and news. Bernadette Sweeney Manager Member Services Community Connect, Inc. 205 Hudson Street 6th Floor New York, NY 10013 Fax: 212-343-2410 Phone: 212-431-4477 ext 238 E-mail: bsweeney@communityconnect.com MiGente also includes a Rate Me section, similar to the Web site HotorNot.com.
Xanga (www.xanga.com) Users: 40 million Ages: 16-30 Xanga began as a site for sharing book and music reviews. It has since become a social networking revolving around blog content. Xanga asks Law Enforcement to send inquires using their law enforcement submit page. The submit page can be found at: http://help.xanga.com/contact/abuse- police.htm Xanga is a basic site, as far as social networking sites go, but searching for blog content is very organized. There are over 21 million active blogs on Xanga.
YouTube (www.youtube.com) Users: 150 million Ages: 12-55 YouTube is the most popular video sharing site in the world. As of November 2007, YouTube was hosting 56 million videos, with 65,000 new videos being added each day. More than 100 million videos on YouTube are watched every day. YouTube,, Inc. 1000 Cherry Ave. Suite 2 San Bruno, CA 94066 Fax: 650-649 649-2939 Many questionable videos that have been uploaded on YouTube including: schoolyard fights, how to make improvised explosive devices and torture of animals. In October 2006, Google announced that it had purchased YouTube for $1.65 billion in Google stock.
Slide (www.slide.com) Users: 134 million Ages: 12-35 Slide is the largest personal media network in the world, reaching more than 134 million unique global viewers each month and 30 percent of the U.S. Internet audience. Slide, Inc 612 Howard Street Suite 400 San Francisco CA, 94109 Fax: 415-449-6776 E-mail: legal@slide.com Users can personalize photos and videos created on Slide and view them anywhere on the Web, including placing the videos or photos into social networking sites (Facebook( Facebook, MySpace,, Hi5, Orkut, Bebo, Friendster,, etc.). Slide works as a cross between social networking sites like MySpace and photo sharing sites like Flickr. A quick search of slide shows on Slide.com revealed thousands of photos of Crips and Bloods gang members.
Photobucket (www.photobucket.com) Users: 39 million Ages: 18-45 Background: Photobucket claims to have 39 million users who have uploaded 2.6 billion photos. Users can upload photos on Photobucket and use the photos as a depository for Facebook and MySpace photos. Photobucket.com ATTN: Wendy Gallant 1099 18th Street Suite 770 Denver, CO 80202 Fax: 303-395 395-1165 Phone: 303-228 228-5139 E-mail: wgallant@photobucket.com Photos are shared with other Photobucket users. Photos are searchable by title, tags and descriptions. Photobucket users are also able to post and share videos.
Flickr (www.flickr.com) Users: 15 million Ages: 18-35 Flickr is a photo sharing and depository site. All photos are searchable by tags or text that the originator attached to the photos. Most photos are available to the general public, though there are e settings to make photos available to only a select group of people. There are an estimated 200 million photos on Flickr.
Scribd (www.scribd.com) Users: 1 million Ages: 18-55 Scribd, which allows anyone to upload documents much like YouTube lets users post videos online, has grown quickly since its September 2006 debut. Scribd, Inc. 211 Sutter Street, 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94108 Fax: 650-745-0703 Users have added more than 350,000 documents in various languages, including government reports, term papers, short stories and training manuals. Scribd allows a great variety of documents to be uploaded (from text files, PDFs to Microsoft Office files) in a public database. You can attach a description, some tags and the document is instantly available to everyone. The uploaded documents can be viewed and downloaded in many formats, including PDF, text and mp3 (obtained using a text-to-speech program). All documents are searchable, though users can make an uploaded document private (meaning it is only viewable by that user s friends).
Retaining Profiles and Information Gathered The improper collection and retention of intelligence information n can be a serious civil rights violation resulting in civil suits as a federal "color of law" violation. Minnesota data practices law is very restrictive regarding intelligence information at this time. Profiles and posting histories can easily be found on the hosting g Web sites. If profiles or postings are deleted by the user, in many cases the t information can be found by searching cached on Google or Yahoo.
Minnesota Joint Analysis Center (MNJAC) MNJAC 111 Washington Ave. S. Suite 820 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401 Office: 612-373 373-2840 Fax: 612-373 373-2870 E-mail: info@icefishx.org Web site: www.icefishx.org